While the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has put forth every effort in protecting and trying to help the natural populations of the rare Mexican Wolf grow through their recovery program, they have seen great setbacks since their protection began in 1977. Poachers and anti-wolf activists have created a dangerous environment in which these natural predators live, and the once common wolves have dwindled down to less than 83 suspected in the wild. And this week, the number drops by one.

In yet another tragic set of events, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced Friday, Oct. 10, at a monthly briefing that the body of a Mexican Wolf tracked by the organization was found dead in a desolate region of Arizona.

As the case is currently under investigation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is not disclosing many details at the moment, but commented to say that body was found within the Blue Range recovery area, where hunting is neither permitted nor legal. The wolf found is believed to be a young adult male wolf, who was a member of the Elk Horn Pack traveling across the region. Though no confirmation as to cause of death nor severity has been disclosed as of yet.

Though a predatory species by nature, their position as secondary predators leaves them a vulnerable species to the biggest killers in their ecosystem: humans. While the species may have once thrived in the wild, the presence of man has posed a great threat to the beautiful pack hunters, leaving their numbers dwindling and their growth limited by their small numbers. Aside from the problems they face in propagating their populations outward, or growing in numbers, the constant intervention of humans out to hunt them causes even greater concerns for conservation agencies. As a rare species, and one who is still predominantly disliked by hunters and farmers of the region, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is taking this slaughter very seriously and have asked for the public to please disclose any information that could lead to the arrest of the culprits responsible for its murder.